Mary Alice Bennett
January 31, 1938 – May 16, 2023
Mary Alice (Nelson), (Baldwin) Bennett was born in Gentry, Missouri, but was raised in McCune, Kansas. Soon after she graduated high school, she married and was a housewife for several years. After becoming a mother, she was a shining Christian example for her three sons.
A standout student during her formative years, after her sons were adults, Mary in mid-life earned a college degree in nutrition from the University of Central Oklahoma and earned her Masters while serving as a sorority house mother at the University of Oklahoma. She was a certified dietitian who worked for the Texhoma Medical Center in Denison, Texas.
A devout Christian, Mary was actively involved in every church she attended. She taught children in Sunday school and her warm smile and engaging personality assisted her in a myriad of Church of Christ programs. She also was active in community outreach efforts.
Mary was a good friend to countless people, whether it was neighbors in the communities she lived or her “game group” friends her final six years in a senior apartment complex.
A minister’s wife, Mary lived in several cities: OKLAHOMA (Okmulgee, Mannford, Pauls Valley, Norman and Edmond); KANSAS (Coffeyville, Great Bend, McCune and Parsons).
Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Grace; her sister, Dorothy, and her husband, Wayne. She is survived by her sons, Mike (wife Barbara), Kyle (wife Becky), Tim (husband Jeffrey), four grandchildren (Cindy, Cary, Brett and Taylor); five great grandchildren (Dalton, Charlie, Andy, Presley and Emersyn), Wayne’s children (Steve, Scott, Chris, Julie and their families) and many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 23, at Edmond Church of Christ. On Wednesday, May 24, a gravesite service will be held in McCune, Kansas.
We will greatly miss the kind-hearted mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and good friend. In recent years Mary spoke often of how great it will be to “go see Jesus.” At her funeral, she wanted everyone who knew her to be comforted by this poem:
MISS ME, BUT LET ME GO
When I come to the end of the road,
And the sun has set for me;
I want no rites in a gloom filled room,
Why cry for a soul set free.
Miss me a little, but not too long;
And not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love that we once shared,
Miss me, but let me go.
For this is a journey that we all must take.
And each must go alone.
It’s all part of the Master’s plan;
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick of heart,
Go to the friends we know;
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds.
Miss me, but let me go.
To view the memorial slideshow video for Mary Alice Bennett please follow the link below.
https://youtu.be/dIQw-vYZTRA
Mary was a great Christian lady. She was a wonderful example to all who knew her. She will be missed!
Mike(Barbara), Kyle(Becky) and Tim(Jeffrey) and your families: I am so sorry to hear of the death of your Mother, Mary Alice. She was a very special person in our Baldwin lives and such a nice and caring person. Always gave me christian advice in my early years at family gatherings. She enjoyed these last years reuniting with us at the reunions and I felt she really enjoyed visiting with us all that attended. My sincere sympathy goes out to all of you. I am sure she will be missed by everyone who knew her. May god bless you all in this difficult time. Your Aunt Jean (Baldwin) Hall.